Imprisoned Octopus

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You’d think the life of Paul the Octopus, living in a German seaquarium, couldn’t get any better. He never has to worry about predators, food is never scarce, and the people love him. The only extrenuous exercise for the cephalopod is selecting winners for World Cup matches, which he has done successfully this year. But as Jennifer Rubin points out over at Commentary (citing an article in the Edmonton Sun), the folks at PETA Deutschland are not amused and want him freed from captivity.

PETA marine biologist Dr. Tanja Breining described Paul’s use as an oracle “thankless.” The octopus is highly intelligent and deserves better than imprisonment—he needs to be released back into the wild. Except, as a Sealife spokesman told Agence France-Presse, “Animals born in captivity are used to being fed and have no experience finding food by themselves…. It is highly likely that he would die.”